Mario Kart is a system seller. It was for the DS and it was for the Wii. It’s no wonder that Nintendo tried to slap down Mario Kart 7 onto the 3DS as soon as possible. And what did we get from it? A solid Mario Kart title that could have been a whole lot better.

Let me start off by saying that Mario Kart 7 is a great game. But when it comes to first impressions, 7 is truly lacking, which is quite apparent when you first start the game. The game has no title screen, nor any sort of file selection. Instead, you are greeted with a loading screen, foreshadowing significant loading times found throughout the game. Mario Kart 7 then jumps you right onto the streamlined menus that look sleek but a bit bland. You’re given the choice to play single-player, multi-player, online, or check out the Mario Kart Channel, all of which will be discussed in detail in this review.

Let us begin!

Let’s first start off with the single-player. Upon choosing the single-player option, you will be presented with a choice of doing a 4-race Grand Prix, Time Trials, or one of two different battle modes. As always, the Grand Prix allows you to play through four courses in each specified cup, with four cups available to play immediately while four more cups are unlocked as you progress. Unlike Mario Kart Wii, all 3 difficulty classes are unlocked at the get-go, but only by playing through the 150cc difficulty will you any new characters, which basically means that the first to cc difficulty levels are completely useless. Mirror mode can also be unlocked, which allows you to play through each of the 32 courses with each turn reversed. But even though you’re unlocking things along the way, Mario Kart 7’s Grand Prix is tiresome and tedious, and proves that Nintendo has to do something drastic in order for Grand Prix to feel fun again.

Even though it’s been a while since the last Mario Kart, many things in Mario Kart 7 will become instantly familiar to fans of the series. Drifting in this game is a mix of both the manual and automatic option in Mario Kart Wii. Press and hold R to drift, and if you drift long enough, you will get a temporary speed boost. Those who choose not to use drift can feel at ease because if you turn hard enough, you’ll find that the Mario Kart 64 style of turning has made a welcome return. Mario Kart Wii’s trick system also makes a return in Mario Kart 7, but this time you do tricks by pressing the same button as you would do to drift. What does this mean? You can’t drift while doing tricks anymore, adding a (probably unwanted) sense of strategy to Mario Kart.

Along with the old mechanics, Mario Kart 7 includes several new ones. Upon hitting blue ramps, your kart will now sprout a hanglider that adds a lot of strategy into the game. You’ll be steering your Kart in the air naturally in no time as you glide to dodge numerous enemies and obstacle while you try your best not to land outside of the course. Gliding is a very welcome addition to Mario Kart and adds a new layer of depth to the franchise. Unfortunately, the new underwater mechanics detract from the value of the game. Even though it may seem fun and creative, the underwater mechanics exist primarily to take up space in the game, and while the wacky physics may feel novel at first, the tremendous slowdown that occurs when you come in contact with water feels more like an annoyance than anything else.

I never want to see this again, Nintendo. Never.

Coins also make a return to the Mario Kart series after being absent since the GBA’s Super Circuit. Coins are scattered around each course and function in a number of ways in this game. First off, coins give you a small but immediate speed boost when you come in contact with them. Coins also increase your kart’s max speed, with a maximum of ten coins per race. Last of all, coins allow you to unlock new kart parts that you can customize to alter the stats of your vehicle. Reach a certain amount of collected coins, and a random part will be unlocked for your liking.

Another new mechanic in Mario Kart 7 is the ability to race in first person. Such a thing may seem trivial and pointless, but racing in first person is actually a lot of fun. You also have the option to use gyro controls in this mode, though you can still use the circle pad and even turn the gyroscope off if you want. For what it is, the gyroscope works well enough for those who like that kind of thing to enjoy the heck out of it, and for those who just want to try it out, you'll be surprised by how fast the ground moves by you in first person. Interestingly, the 3D isn’t easily blurred when tilting the system in this game, mostly because the 3D effect is barely noticeable when playing.

New feature. Surprisingly fun.

Mario Kart 7 includes 16 brand new courses and 16 remade “retro” courses from previous games. But while the Nintendo did a good job in choosing its retro courses, the new ones are a bit disappointing. The entire Mushroom Cup is just racing around a track with little obstacles or challenge. Some other courses like Music Park or Piranha Plant Slide seem to have too many obstacles and feel a bit annoying. Despite some lackluster new tracks, there are many that pop out and shine like Rainbow Road and Bowser’s Castle. Also, Nintendo took the time to mix things up by adding long one-lap tracks that are separated into three sections. The music in this game is also mixed. Some courses have very annoying songs like in Daisy Hills, some that don’t really sound like anything like in Shy Guy Bazaar, and others that sound great like in Neo Bowser City. But one can’t help but notice that many sound effects are reused from Mario Kart Wii, which is appalling since each Mario Kart game usually comes with a new set of sounds and music. Fortunately, such a slight downfall is covered by the addition of the new “first place beat,” which adds an extra layer of percussion to the music when you’re in first place. The retro courses have undergone major redesigns, as courses like N64 Koopa Beach don’t even look like it did in the original. These retro courses have also been altered to fit new glider and underwater segments, which makes me wonder why Nintendo didn’t choose to go with N64 Royal Raceway or Wii Wario Goldmine and instead opted for N64 Luigi Raceway and Wii Coconut Mall. And did I mention that there are two Wuhu Island stages in this game? I have nothing against Wuhu, and the courses are really actually quite fun, but Wuhu has no place in Mario Kart, and seems to reflect the laziness in the Mario Kart team to create new and exciting courses.

Of course, what’s Mario Kart without items? Along with the usual banana peels and Koopa shells come an updated spiny blue shell (now wingless a la Mario Kart 64) and 3 new items: the Tanooki Suit, the Fire Flower, and the Lucky 7. The Tanooki Suit allows you to whack your tail around at opponents and obstacles. The Fire Flower allows you to throw fireballs at opponents to try to spin them out. The Lucky 7 is a unique item, which gives you 7 random items that spin around you. But be careful; other players can steal those items from you if you don’t use them immediately, making the item feel more like a strategic tool than a cheap way to win. In fact, all of Mario Kart 7’s items have been balanced out, making you feel a lot better when you’re racing alongside the CPU. Surprisingly, Nintendo has done away with the fake item block this time around, which isn't really at all noticeable until you really think about it.

If you&#Array;re not careful, that bomb may explode on you...

Mario Kart 7 features an interesting roster of playable characters. As always, each character is set in a specific weight class with specific base stats (ultimately, it is the kart parts that really change the stats on your character). You can still race as the classic 8 characters from the old Mario Kart games, but several new ones like Wiggler and Queen Bee just feel out of place, especially when iconic characters like Waluigi and Dry Bones didn’t make the cut. And Metal Mario as a playable character is just a sign of laziness.

Time Trials has gotten a significant upgrade since we last saw it. In Mario Kart 7, you can now gather ghosts via streetpass or spotpass, both of which are obtained from the Mario Kart Channel. You can race against these ghosts as well as your own ghosts while you try to get the best time. There are no worldwide leaderboards this time around, but Mario Kart doesn’t really need it. You can see, though, the trendline in which where most time-trial ghosts fall into in terms of racing times for each course. Gather enough ghosts, and you’ll be able to race against seven of them at the same time. All of these added features make Time Trials the best it’s ever been in a Mario Kart game.

Mario Kart 7’s battle modes are a bit different from earlier iterations. Players will be able to battle on six battle stages, 3 retro ones and 3 brand new ones, with the option of choosing one of two different battle modes. In balloon battle, players use items to try to hit other players, earning them one point per hit. Losing all of your balloons causes you to lose points. This process continues until time runs out, in which the person with the most points wins. Though this is a definite improvement from Mario Kart Wii, 7’s battle mode fails to reach the greatness of Mario Kart 64’s battle mode. Coin runners, a mode that makes its return from Mario Kart Wii, puts players in a race against time to try to collect coins without getting hit and losing coins.

Better than Mario Kart Wii, that&#Array;s for sure.

Interestingly, the single-player vs. mode has completely disappeared from Mario Kart 7, which means that if you want to play against the computer player on a course like Rainbow Road, you’re going to have to play through the entire cup to get there. It’s a bit strange that Nintendo didn’t care to include it, as it’s been available for quite some time now in the past Mario Kart games. Also gone are the DS’ mission mode and its follow-up the Wii’s Tournaments. Without these elements, Mario Kart 7’s single-player experience is absolutely abysmal, and further reestablishes the fact that Nintendo only spent a little more than a year to make this game.

But enough of the single-player stuff. Though I do have many complaints the single-player experience, the multi-player is, as always, where Mario Kart shines. You have the option to choose between local or online play. Local multiplayer allows you to play either with single-card download play or multi-card play. Single-card play only allows the person with the game card to choose their characters or carts with non-Mario Kart 7 owners being forced to use Shy Guy (which isn’t that bad of a choice considering the rather disappointing roster). Fortunately, you now have the option to choose any course you want, regardless of which kind of multi-player you choose. You can even customize your own rules (like bob-omb only balloon battle; sound familiar?) to your own liking, though it is a bit limited (you can’t turn blue shells off).

Online play has greatly improved since Mario Kart Wii. Along with the ability to play random players worldwide, you can now race against people you’ve recently played against as well as in new online communities. Anyone can make communities and set certain rules for them (once again, these rules are very limited) and share a very long code online. Considering QR functionality in many 3DS apps, it’s a wonder to me why Nintendo chose to go back to numerical codes when all you really have to do is take a picture. In terms of the online experience, Nintendo has delivered. There is very little lag (and when there is, the game does a good job in hiding it) and, like all of the other modes, it runs at a glorious 60fps. Winning online races allows you to gain verses rating points to prove to your opponents that you are indeed the best in the group (or the worst, it really depends). Of course, losing the race causes you to lose VR points. Communities also now have their own leaderboards, which uses a point-based system found in the Grand Prix instead of the VR scale in the other online modes, which is a bit strange, but still well-done.

This is easily the best part of Mario Kart 7.

As mentioned before, the Mario Kart Channel (which isn’t really a channel, but an in-game menu) takes care of the streetpass and spotpass stuff, giving you community suggestions and random ghosts. You can also change your Mii and your default kart here, along with your online stats including wins, losses, and VR. It’s a fun little addition that integrates itself seamlessly into the game; you don’t even have to go into the Mario Kart Channel to access most of these features.

As a whole, Mario Kart 7 is a great game. It has robust multi-player and online options, some awesome courses (especially the retro ones), cool new in-game mechanics, great new time trial options, and the ability to download new ghosts, all of which enhance the Mario Kart experience. Unfortunately, the lack of single-player versus, a disappointing character roster, many uninspired courses, a boring single-player experience, and annoying underwater sections prevent this game from being a must-buy. But by all means, if you love Mario Kart, then go out and buy Mario Kart 7, because it is actually be quite fun (especially online), but fun can’t always hide the fact that Mario Kart 7 leaves you wanting for more, which isn’t always a good thing.

We all know and love the GBA. Even when the GameCube was not all that successful (but still profitable to Nintendo nonetheless), Nintendo’s sixth-gen portable was selling like hotcakes. And now, less than a decade later, we have them on Nintendo’s brand new portable system, the 3DS (of course, just for us special “early adopters” people). A few months ago, I wrote a blog about the 10 free NES games and how much I thought they were worth.

I’m not even going to bother with putting a price for each of these games. By now, I think there is no doubt that all 20 of these games MORE than make up the $80 price drop Nintendo shelled out in August. So, here we are again, impressions for EACH of the 10 GBA ambassador games.

F-Zero Maximum Velocity

I’ve never really been a fan of F-Zero. Its wild physics and uncontrollable high speeds simply frustrate me to the point of me just giving up. Maximum Velocity is no different. Even with an assortment of different vehicles, tracks, and modes, the game overall is quite boring, even when you’re racing at extremely high speeds. Perhaps as time goes on, I’ll get used to it a little bit more, but as for right now, I’m done with any F-Zero game that is not on the Nintendo 64 or the GameCube. At least those games were a bit interesting.

You’ll love:

+ racing at high speeds

You’ll hate:

- slippery physics

- boring landscapes

- lack of character

- very high difficulty

Mario Kart Super Circuit

As if one racing game wasn’t enough, Nintendo decided to throw in another one, this time a Mario Kart title. And I’m just going to put this out there. I hate Super Circuit. In fact, I think Super Circuit is the worst Mario Kart game to date. But surprisingly, after playing Super Circuit with the circle pad, my perception has changed, though ever so slightly, to the better. Mario Kart: Super Circuit is actually kinda fun. For starters, the game features a whopping 40 different tracks, including EVERY track from the SNES original. Plus, your eight favorite characters from Mario Kart 64 are all playable, each with their own unique stats. But fans of modern Mario Kart games will receive a rude awakening: Super Circuit has some of the slipperiest physics in any Mario game, making the game extremely hard to control even at 50cc. Also worth noting: no multiplayer. The game has multiplayer modes, but Nintendo didn’t include that into the Virtual Console service, which is a bummer, because it effectively renders half of the game useless.

You’ll love:

+ 40 different tracks to race on

+ smooth controls with the circle pad

You’ll hate:

- slippery physics

- lack of multiplayer support on 3DS VC

- Luigi’s old Japanese voice acting

Wario Land 4

Wario has a lot of character. He’s greedy, he’s rude, and he’s totally bad*ss… which is what makes Wario Land 4 so awesome. Sure, it doesn’t do anything ground-breaking in platforming or puzzle-solving, but it’s a well-rounded package that is also a ton of fun.

It’s really hard to describe Wario Land other than the phrase “puzzle-platformer,” but Wario Land 4 is so much more than just that. I’ll just leave the game to you and let you feel surprised at how fun this game is.

You’ll love:

+ Wario’s quirky personality

+ solving fun puzzles

+ playing included minigames

You’ll hate:

+ missing a piece of treasure because of a small mistake

Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3

I remember loving Yoshi’s Island. I remember trying to collect all of those red coins and flowers to unlock every secret level of the game. I remember playing those extra levels that were hard as hell. I remember hating myself for trying to beat the Endless World of Yoshis. Everything, including the classic Mario Bros. arcade game (though the 3DS VC currently has no multiplayer support), returns in this version of Yoshi’s Island. Unfortunately, as seen in the NES ambassador games, the circle pad works terribly for 2D platformers, which is a shame. Controlling Yoshi with the d-pad is the best idea overall, due to the many tricky platforming segments that require precision. But though these things may take a while to get used to, Yoshi’s Island is still as good as you remembered it. The art design for this game is totally unique, and it is one that holds up well to this date, even when the screen is stretched to fit the 3DS, and the platforming is still as hardcore as it can get.

You’ll love:

+ over 60 levels to explore

+ epic boss battles

+ the return of the classic Mario Bros. arcade game

+ colorful art style

You’ll hate:

- using the circle pad

- no multiplayer support for Mario Bros.

Metroid Fusion

To tell you the truth, I’ve never ever loved Metroid. That’s probably because the only Metroid game I’ve played is the original NES title, and that game is as hard as nails. But for people like me, this game was made with simplicity in mind. Guidance in this game is a lot more direct (there are plenty of tutorials for beginners like me), and the game also controls surprisingly well with the circle pad, especially when you’re trying to shoot diagonally (something that was a bit frustrating on the GBA d-pad). Unfortunately, like Yoshi’s Island, anything that requires you to slide the circle pad downwards will not always connect properly, making me opt out for the d-pad at some points. But though I’ve only played through half an hour of the game, I’m surprisingly enjoying this fun little sci-fi shooter.

You’ll love:

+ simple yet clever level design

+ the well-done help system

+ circle pad in its help with diagonal shooting

You’ll hate:

- anything that requires you to slide down on the circle pad (including ducking and morph balling)

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$

Ahhh… the one that started it all. The original WarioWare is back, and we once again have the chance to play those 3-second games in their original form WITH NO GIMMICKS. Honestly, with a game like this that places so much emphasis on timing, there is no way you’ll get the same experience as this if played on an emulator. And unlike other WarioWare games, the original minigames were all bare-bones… which is why they’re so much fun.

You’ll love:

+ the classics of the classics of 3-second games

+ the numerous minigames, including multiplayer games that require only 1 3DS

+ the wonderful and amusing stories of WarioWare

+ using the circle pad for most minigames

You’ll hate:

- long and time-consuming cutscenes

- dying at the boss stages only to start the entire level over

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

Traditional Kirby games have always been underrated. It’s either because they’re too easy, or just too simple. The Amazing Mirror? It’s none of these. Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is very challenging, and unlike other Kirby games, you explore ONE giant world trying to collect everything you can and fix the Amazing Mirror. Surprisingly, the game plays well with the circle pad (probably because Kirby’s mechanics are so much about moving in all directions). Unfortunately, without multiplayer support, certain parts of the game are inaccessible (mostly because your idiot Kirby friends fail at cooperating with you).

You’ll love:

+ exploring Kirby’s giant world

+ wondering to yourself how Kirby got so hardcore

+ full directional control over Kirby with the circle pad

You’ll hate:

- no multiplayer support (and not being to complete the game because of that)

- double-tapping (sliding?) the circle pad to run

Mario vs Donkey Kong

Do you love puzzles? Do you love Mario? Did you absolutely adore Donkey Kong ’94 on the 3DS VC? Well here is its sequel. Mario vs Donkey Kong is the direct sequel of of DK ’94 and is arguably one of the best Mario & Donkey Kong games ever made. The game may look simple at its premise, but as you play through the worlds, you’ll be surprised by how much depth this game actually has (and the amount of moves Mario actually can do). Even if it may look boring, Mario vs Donkey Kong is a great game, a game that surprised even me when I first played it.

You’ll love:

+ Mario’s many moves (and the many sound-effects he makes)

+ very clever level design

+ amusing story

+ the many unlockable bonus challenges

You’ll hate:

- the relatively short game length

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

I hate strategy RPG’s. I don’t know why, but they just feel a bit boring to me. This game changed my mind. The second Fire Emblem game to come to America, Sacred Stones provides a deep story and gameplay that actually felt fun. If you felt the same way as I did about strategy RPG’s, give this game a shot, and perhaps you’ll feel the same way as I do now. Even though I’ve only played the first two chapters of the game, there is no doubt in my mind that Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is a surprisingly fun and robust game.

You’ll love:

+ deep storyline

+ engaging and addicting gameplay

+ gradual learning curve

You’ll hate:

- not being able to save midway through a chapter

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

At long last, the final GBA game in the line-up. Minish Cap is by far my favorite Zelda game ever created. Guide Link with the almighty and wonderful circle pad (which allows full control over Link) in an epic adventure throughout Hyrule. Even with its cartoonish look, Minish Cap has everything that Zelda games offer: a great story, deep dungeons, mind-boggling puzzles, and quirky NPC’s. If you love Zelda, you’ll absolutely adore this game. And even if you don’t, the Minish Cap is a great starting point. And considering that most emulators can’t run Minish Cap (the game will freeze in the middle of the final dungeon), you’ll be thankful that Nintendo decided to put this up for 3DS ambassadors. And the circle pad works surprisingly well in Minish Cap. Wow. I couldn’t have been happier with how this game, and all of the other GBA ambassador games, turned out (with the exception of maybe F-Zero; boy do I dislike that game).